


Those who like to wash find water - a Stranded AU

by MaxKowarth



Series: Stranded AU - Big Finish [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio), Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Adventures - Various Authors
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25735726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxKowarth/pseuds/MaxKowarth
Summary: The morning after Team!Tardis arrive at 107 Baker Street when everything is both familiar and alien at once.Their friendly neighbour is keeping an eye on them, one of them more than the others.
Relationships: Liv Chenka/Helen Sinclair, Tania Bell/Liv Chenka
Series: Stranded AU - Big Finish [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032525
Comments: 17
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Liv Chenka pulled herself from the shower and wrapped the single bath towel around her. She lent against the sink and wiped the steam free to stare into her own eyes. Why did tepid water make up for the pouring rain of the night before? 

‘Makes no sense’ she informed her reflection before scooping the towel up to deal with her hair. That was when she remembered where she was and hastily let the towel cover her once more. She crossed to the place she had left her clothes only to find them replaced with a sundress she was astonished to recognise. She had seen it, or one similar, the last time she had stayed in Baker Street. Molly had been wearing it then.

On closer inspection there had been some running repairs and a little alteration somewhere in its history. Helen would look good in it. Helen had the legs for dresses but she never really wore the things that made the most of them.  
With little other option, Liv put on the dress and returned to the larger room that made up the bulk of flat 4 in search of her boots.

-

‘Hey,’ she called to Helen who was bent over the sink. ‘Have you seen my clothes?’  
Her friend looked up from the sink, straight into Liv’s eyes and for the briefest moment was rendered speechless.

‘I… yes, I’m trying to clean them.’ She waved a soap bubble covered hand at the sink.  
‘In the sink?’ Liv frowned. She had stepped into her still slightly damp boots and moved closer to Helen, taken with the leggings and wet t shirt combination she was sporting.  
‘I know, but I didn’t want to disturb you by using the bath. It would be so much easier with a washboard.’ Helen sighed and pushed the less soapy of her hands through her fringe.

Liv thought very filthy things and failed to hide her smirk as she pointed toward her friend’s knees ‘you ah… you know there’s a machine for that? Like the one on the TARDIS?’ Helen flicked soap at her, splattering her chest and Liv burst into laughter.  
‘Cheeky monster! Yes I do know actually and most of our clothes are in there but your shirt Liv… needed a tender touch.’ Like her owner, Helen thought to herself. She lifted said shirt out of the suds and held it up to the light. The blood, bullet holes and powder burns did give it a sense of the owner too.

‘Oh… that was my best shirt.’ Liv tried to play down the image, the history, and the consequences. She bit her lip to stop herself saying more, turning her attention to nervously tugging the hem of the dress to try and get it to rest lower down her thighs. The alterations at the waist resolutely refused to give, her attentions leading instead to more of her chest exposed and the back of the hem almost revealing her bum.  
Helen forced herself to turn back to the sink and not think about how much of Liv she had seen today.

‘Technically it’s your only shirt. I’m not so sure I can save it, but I shall try my best.’  
Liv remained quiet for a while once Helen turned back to her work. Her concentration was like a cloud over the summer sun and her beloved best friend was lost to the matter in hand. It was displacement activity, Liv knew that. Talking of which… ‘Any sign of the Doctor?’  
‘Out, said he was going to see a man about a box.’ Helen shook her head.

‘Oh, right.’ Liv stepped away, doing up the laces on her boots and failing to find anything to distract her attention with. Finally something did come to her ‘And uh... where did the dress come from?’  
‘Tania in number one. She was at the door early, realised we’d probably need something after the drowned rats that arrived last night. Said there were boxes in the basement that predated her. I don’t think it’s very in fashionable.’  
‘Since when have I been in fashion?’ Liv muttered more to herself than Helen. ‘I uh, should go. Thank her.’  
‘Oh, if you do, can you ask her if she has a fork you can borrow. I can only find one in the drawers here.’  
‘I can see that going down well, asking her for a fork.’ Liv stifled her grin successfully but Helen didn’t seem to notice anyway. She was busy with the washing and remained so even after Liv stepped from the flat in the 70s sundress and combat boots to head quietly downstairs. 

-

‘Oh, Hi’ Tania stared at Liv on answering the door.  
Liv beamed at her and unashamedly stared back all soft hazel eyes and hair that was curling as it dried. Tania looked a lot different in the morning light. Well, not different so much as less confrontational. Or perhaps it was that Liv wasn’t soaked and irritable and recently brought back from certain death, again. 

‘Hey. Wanted to thank you for the clothes, I had no idea I was such a state when we arrived.’  
‘I... no problem, it suits you.’  
‘You think? It’s a bit tight in places.’ Liv tugged at the waist with exactly the same result as earlier and just as little self awareness. Tania coughed and did her best not to stare.  
‘I... uh... it’s... yeah I do think.’ With her ability to form sentences in tatters she fell back on ingrained politeness, ‘Would you like a drink?’  
‘I’m supposed to get a good fork off you.’

Tania went scarlet and coughed so hard Liv rubbed her back in concern. This attempt to help had quite the opposite effect on the brunette and Liv was forced to ease her back into her flat and sit her down. She expertly lent Tania back and softly encouraged her to breathe, covertly checking her pulse and finding it racing.

‘Wait there I’ll get you some water.’ She took charge and tried to work out where the sink was hiding. Once located, she scowled at the wall cupboard full of crockery, clearly constructed with the tall and tempting Tania in mind. She placed one palm on the counter and pushed herself from the floor to reach a glass.

From where Tania sat she saw the gentle flurry of sundress as Liv succumbed to gravity. It was a flash of her target that she wasn’t going to forget in a hurry.

The tap gurgled and Liv dashed back, holding the glass to Tania’s lips in a very professional way.  
Tania drank on instinct and nodded when finished. ‘Thanks, you’ve done that before’ she smiled.  
‘Hang around the Doctor often enough and medical training is pretty much a given.’ Liv replied obliquely as she put the part finished glass on the table.

‘I guess so.’ Tania tried to hide what she knew but luckily for her Liv’s attention had returned to glancing around the room.  
‘Helen said there were boxes with other clothes?’ Liv asked. Tania nodded.  
‘In the basement. Dunno if they are all clothes.’ She stood and dug out the basement key. Liv beamed at her again.  
‘Sounds like an adventure, you wanna come with me?’  
Tania grabbed the glass and downed it before replying, ‘I’m the one with the key.’


	2. the basement

The basement door was reluctant to yield even after Tania had unlocked it.   
Liv put her shoulder to it with greater success, pressing against Tania in the process. She bounded down the stairs with an ease that spoke volumes of her familiarity.  
Tania was forced to wonder if the pressing against her was a deliberate distraction but Liv’s call was innocent enough. 

‘Hey, this place still stinks.’  
‘Yeah, I think it’s a damp course or something. You’ve been here before then?’  
‘Lifetime ago’ Liv joked, knowing Tania would have no idea why it should be funny. She grabbed at a cobwebbed broom and used it to prop her up as she reached for the light pull she remembered from the previous visit. It wasn’t there.   
‘Has someone moved the light switch?’  
‘Not that I know’ Tania replied, finally following her into the basement.

As Liv leant further in her search the broom failed to support her and she plummeted forward onto a stack of boxes.  
Tania pressed the switch on the wall that was all she had known about. Three bare bulbs glimmered to life as Liv stood herself upright.  
There was a dull whirr and the bulb immediately above them burst with a pop not unlike an Enfield no. 2 British service revolver. Tania blinked the burst of light from her retina and the splintered end of the broom handle arriving at her face. Her forearm blocked its path before her brain had really registered it was there. She hadn’t seen Liv spin around at the noise, just the result.  
‘Uh, it’s just a bulb. I probably have a spare.’ Tania gently eased the broomstick down and let Liv catch her breath. ‘You ok if I go fetch it?’  
‘Yeah, sure. Thanks.’ Liv nodded, her chest rising and falling in distracting shadows as she let the boxes take her weight again.

-

Two floors above Helen hung Liv’s shirt above the bath to dry. She was in two minds about darning the holes or trying to find something that could make complimentary patches. It was this train of thought crowding her mind that meant she almost walked into the Doctor when she returned to the lounge.

‘Oh! Wherever have you been, you smell like wet grass?’  
‘Took a short cut.’ was his terse reply. Helen frowned, stretching her memory to a layout of London that was nearly 60 years out of date.  
‘Let’s see, we walked down Albany Street to get here last night so by short cut you mean straight through Regent’s Park?’  
‘A little more straight through than I was expecting, as it turns out. Did you know they’ve moved the boating lake?’ He took a step back with a heavy squelch.  
‘Oh for heaven’s sake, you’re as bad as Liv, Doctor! Get out of those wet things and I’ll start another round of washing.’

-

Tania returned to the basement, swapped out the failed light and scanned the space for her target. A glimpse of tie dye flicking into the air located Liv Chenka with her head in a box. Tania was glad of the opportunity to stare this time. This woman looked so perfectly normal but carried herself like a princess on a battlefield. Tania tried to distance herself, prepare a report.

She held her head with privilege and yet the sheer tone of her muscles suggested she was prepared for a life of fight or flight. She could imagine those legs pounding the streets towards the explosions, not from.  
She could also imagine those thighs resting on her shoulders and shook her head desperately trying not to think about it. She coughed, hoping conversation would distract her.

Liv pulled herself from the box and smiled at Tania ‘Oh you found one, thanks. Sorry about the…’ she waved at the broom handle now on the top of the box pile.  
‘S’ok. You must have had some trying times recently.’  
‘That’s just my life I think. Hey, what do you think of this?’ her head disappeared back into the box and Tania didn’t even notice she had been distracted. She reappeared with a pair of Dungarees with flared legs composed of a rainbow fabric inserted at the thigh. ‘There was a poster on the way here with something like it.’  
‘Yeah, they’re sort of back in with the young crowd but…’  
‘But you don’t think I’m young enough huh?’  
‘No! No I wasn’t going to say that. I just… they’ll need taking up.’  
‘So I’m old and short!’ Liv retorted playfully. If this conversation had been with Helen there may have a reconciling kiss. Tania though, just looked flustered. Liv forgave her and turned back to the box. ‘Help me get these two boxes upstairs yeah?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies this chapter took forever. Life got in the way. hopefully not so long a gap for the next.


	3. little boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feet found, Team TARDIS set about the course of thier future

Tania was just about suspecting that she would follow Liv Chenka just about anywhere when they arrived at number 4 and put down the boxes in the middle of the floor.

Helen Sinclair groaned. ‘How do you always do that? It’s been less than half an hour since you came out of the shower and look at you.’  
‘Never mind, the shower’s not going anywhere.’  
‘No but the hot water is. What have you got there?’  
‘Dunno, bit of a treasure hunt.’ Liv replied, flinging the flared dungarees in Helen’s direction.

‘Not quite my style.’ Helen eye rolled and moved to put her hand on Tania’s shoulder. ‘I do apologise for my friend getting you involved in all this.’  
Before Tania could say more than ‘It’s ok’ they were interrupted by the Doctor, striding from the bathroom wrapped in the flats only large towel.  
‘Did I hear someone say Treasure Hunt? I love treasure hunts.’   
‘Here, we found these in the basement. I think it’s from when I was here last, maybe a bit after?’ Liv pushed a box in his direction and he sat cross legged on the floor to examine it. For all the world like a nearly naked schoolboy on Christmas day.

Helen shook her head fondly and turned her attention back to Tania. ‘Thank you for pointing these out. I’m sure we can find something to help out. I’d offer you tea but…’  
‘It’s fine; I’ve only just had some water.’ She nodded. ‘I should leave you too it.’  
‘Why, afraid we’re going to find something we shouldn’t?’ Liv teased her. Tania’s smile only faltered a little as she realised that was a very real possibility. ‘Come on, you can join in. What do you think of this?’ she tossed the woman a t-shirt, too small for either of them but would look flattering on Helen. It bore a badly drawn cartoon bird on the telephone and the legend “Make someone happy”  
‘Who’s Buzby?’ Tania asked.  
‘He was a British Telecom mascot voiced by Bernard Cribbens, I think.’ The Doctor announced, still leafing through what appeared to be a box of assorted screws.  
‘Why would they need a mascot?’ Tania asked.  
‘Difficult times’ The Doctor replied obliquely. 

‘Maybe they should bring him back.’ Helen sighed before she stuck her arm in the box full of clothes and came back with a somewhat piratical open necked shirt. ‘Here we go Doctor, that should fit you.’  
Liv meanwhile had uncovered a large t shirt emblazoned “the Rolling stones” and put it aside to try on later. Then she found some matching cardboard with black plastic discs inside.  
‘Ooh you found some records, do we have a player?’ asked Helen.  
‘Don’t think so. Think I took ours apart in 1979 to make a sonic shield against the Movellans. Or was it the Mandrels? One of those anyway.’  
‘I uh... I think Ron in number 5 might have one? Don’t see him as a Stone’s fan much.’ Tania supplied.  
‘I don’t suppose there’s any Helen Shapiro or Joan Baez?’ Helen wondered aloud.  
‘Into the classics then?’ Tania asked.  
‘I suppose you could say history is my strong point.’ Helen admitted. 

She was fortunately interrupted from further interrogation by the Doctor exclaiming success from across the room. He had found a selection of dusty printed circuits.  
‘Some old alarm clock?’ Liv asked.  
‘Could be, could be for my dog. Hard to tell.’ He redoubled his efforts in the examining of the box now that he had a chance of finding something that may help with the TARDIS. Helen found him a pair of tweed trousers and a pair of “Six Million Dollar Man” briefs.  
‘Might be much in these. You could try the attic though?’ Tania suggested. The Doctor’s face lit up and he practically bounced into the air.  
‘Yes! The attic, of course!’  
‘Doctor!’ Helen snapped and pointed ‘Clothes first.’  
‘Oh yeah, right.’ He grabbed the clothes and diplomatically returned to the bathroom. 

Helen pinched the bridge of her nose and turned back to see Liv animatedly discussing the recently unearthed toy bear with Tania. 

It was lovely to see Liv getting on with someone. A little strange for it not to involve as much sarcasm as she usually exhibited but they had all been through a lot. Helen suddenly felt very tired and moved to lay across the sofa behind the other two women.  
‘It’s a Rupert the Bear. From the newspaper cartoon?’ Helen supplied helpfully in regard to the toy.  
‘Oh right, from the frog thing. God I’d forgotten all about the frog thing.’  
‘Yeah.’ Liv nodded as if she had the first idea what Tania was talking about. Helen smirked. This must be how other people experienced the Doctor most of the time. She closed her eyes, confident that they were as safe as it was possible to be right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thats about it from this story. I think a proper sequel to my original AU may be next...

**Author's Note:**

> As with chapter 0 this is currently a stand alone piece.  
> Let me know in the comments if you would like more, or anything in particular you'd like to see. Stranded has proved more inspirational than I expected.


End file.
